


Corn Maze

by JuliaBC



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-11
Updated: 2016-01-10
Packaged: 2018-05-13 03:12:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5692420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JuliaBC/pseuds/JuliaBC
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A case in the midwest turns nightmarish for Kate when the team gets lost in a corn maze. T for language.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Entrance

Corn Maze

Chapter One

* * *

"So we've talked to all the families and friends, and Reid has pinned down a geographical profile. Neither did much because all of the victims were victims of opportunity, and the geographical profile is...the town." Morgan sighed. "Small towns can be helpful, and sometimes not so much. Do you have anything else, Reid?"

"Not yet," the genius answered from the desk. "I've been trying, but there's so little to go on. There were no victims to talk to, the families know nothing. Garcia is tracing the chemicals used to scald their hands, but even that might not give us much. He could just buy it out of state."

"And to add to that, he probably uses cash," Rossi said. "Is anyone else seeing a pattern? This guy is an expert. No witnesses the families of the first two victims didn't even realize they were gone until it was way too late. All the bodies were at the same dumpsite, right outside the police station. He's not only smart, he's cocky, but that cockiness stopped when we arrived. He hasn't made a peep."

Kate was shaking her head as she stood up, her voice cutting through a puzzled silence. "I'm going to get something to drink," she said, stretching. "I'm thinking Starbucks. Anyone want anything?"

"I'll take a Pumpkin Spice Latte," JJ said.

"Espresso," Reid requested.

Kate paused, hand on purse. "No one else?"

"Maybe tea?" Rossi said. "Just plain tea."

"Okay," Kate said. "I'll be back soon. Don't worry about me taking the SUV, I'll just walk."

Morgan's phone rang and he picked up. "Baby Girl, tell me you got something."

"I do," Garcia assured him. "How did you know?"

"It was just wishful thinking," Morgan drawled. "Here, I'll put you on speaker."

"Okay, so I traced the chemicals and there is _one_ , I'll say it again, one person who gets deliveries in this area. His name is Robert Ashburn, and he owns a farm out of town."

"Isolation?" Hotch asked, sitting up straighter.

"Except for a corn maze that is only open part of the year? Oh, yes."

"And abuse?" Rossi asked.

"You know it. It seems he was checked into the hospital by his teacher when he was eleven. There was evidence that a whole lot more was going on than just a broken arm, but it was dropped when he refused to say anything and he went back to his father. Nasty, huh?" Garcia said.

"What's the address?" Morgan asked.

"It is 43…"

"Hey, someone else was just reported missing," Detective Bryce came rushing in, and the rest of Garcia's sentence was lost. "A blonde named Casey Wyrick. Same age range."

"How long?" Hotch asked, jumping to his feet.

"Twenty-four hours," Bryce returned.

"We need to get going. None of the other victims had much longer than that," Morgan said. "Can you give me that address one more time, Baby Girl?"

"Sure thang, Chocolate Moose," Garcia returned. "It's already on your phone."

The team responded quickly, running to get their vests, and it was as they were walking out to the SUVs when Reid halted. "What about Kate? She went to get coffee."

Bryce paused. "One of my men can give her a ride out." He turned. "Hey, Tom!"

A deputy on his way to his car paused. "Yeah?"

"Wait here for the other FBI agent," Bryce ordered.

"Sure thing," Tom agreed.

The team was off.

* * *

Kate waited in line, stifling a yawn. The line was longer than she had expected for the late hour. _Who else goes to get coffee at nine o'clock?_ She wondered, and stepped forward. "Two Espressos, one Pumpkin Spice Latte and a large Green tea."

After ordering, she stood to the side, and slid her cell from her pocket when it beeped. Expecting to see a call coming in, she was surprised by the message that appeared. Low Battery.

She turned it off, planning to plug it in at the station, when her order number was called. "Thank you," she said, and left the shop, heading out into the cool autumn air.

She loved autumn. The leaves, the cool weather, Halloween...

Her mind wandered as she walked, and she shivered when a particularly cool wind rushed by. "I should have brought a coat," she noted to herself as the police station came into view.

A deputy was leaning against his car. "Agent?" He asked when he saw her.

"Yes?" She asked.

"They have a lead. I'm supposed to give you a ride. Everyone else already left."

"Oh," she said, surprised. "Um, let me leave these inside and grab my vest."

"Sure thing," he said, getting into the car and starting the engine.

She hurried inside, to the conference room they'd been provided, dropping her purse on the table along with the coffee tray. She remembered that she had brought a sweater in her go-bag, but it was in the SUV. "Shoot," she muttered, as she grabbed a vest. If her bag had been there, she could have taken her sneakers and a sweater. As it was...well, her shoes were fine.

She hurried back out to the waiting squad car and slid into the front. "Thanks for waiting, uh..."

"It's Tom, Agent, um?"

"Callahan," she returned.

"Yes. I couldn't remember if it was that or Jareau." With that, they were away.

* * *

Once at the house, the team climbed from their cars. They saw an older, but well kept farmhouse, next to a corn field. Signs along the way had told them it was a corn maze at this time of the year, owned by the neighboring farmer, not Ashburn.

"Detective Bryce, can my team do this?" Hotch asked, walking to where the man was standing.

"Sure," Bryce answered. "We can keep watch from outside."

Hotch hurried back to the team. "Morgan and Rossi, you go around back. JJ and I will take the front, and Reid, go to the side in case he tries to run," Hotch ordered, and they hurried to the positions.

Hotch nodded to JJ when they were ready.

"Robert Ashburn, this is the FBI!" She shouted, and Hotch opened the door.

The house seemed to almost entirely consist of dark, narrow hallways. Hotch and JJ flicked the lights at every doorway, and each time the light flickered and went out again. They could hear Rossi and Morgan doing the same, and then Hotch touched his earpiece. "Reid says someone just ran out the side door," he related to JJ. "You go join up with Rossi and Morgan. I'm going outside with Reid."

"Yeah," she said, and Hotch ran outside where he saw Reid waiting tensely. Detective Bryce had already ordered some of his deputies into the corn maze, and he didn't look happy.

"Do we pursue him?" He asked, and Detective Bryce scowled.

"Jack Mason is famous for his impossible corn maze. I've sent some men in, but Ashburn was already in when we spotted him. I told one of my deputies to request a K-9 unit."

"That's good," Hotch said. "My team will finished sweeping the house, and then we'll join in the outside search. Hang on a second," he said, listening to his earpiece. "Morgan found the victim. Let's go in."

* * *

Tom was silent as they drove, and the radio was also. It crackled to life occasionally, but nothing that pertained to this case.

After a few minutes, Tom spoke. "Hey, can you refresh a few things on the profile for me? My mind has been at home these past few days and I may have missed some things."

"What's happening at home?" She asked.

"My wife might be pregnant," he answered.

"How exciting," she smiled, but he didn't want to talk about it so she returned to his earlier subject. "What did you want to know about the profile?"

"I don't know, um, how do you know that there were two people?" His eyes flicked to her, then back to the road.

"You need two people to pull off the kidnappings," she answered.

"Not necessarily. I mean, we haven't spoken to any victims," he said. "Only family, and there were no witnesses. Do you actually know how they were abducted?"

She considered her words. "We profiled that because of their lack of confidence, they wouldn't be able to charm their victims, so that leaves snatching."

"How do you know there are two?" He repeated.

"I guess we don't," she said, startled.

He looked at her. "Sorry, I..."

"It's fine," she said quickly. "Will we be there soon? I wasn't there when the call came in."

"Oh, yeah, we're going to the old McCormack place, just down the road here. Some city dude bought it last year. No one realized he was actually living there, though."

"What did the town gossip say he bought it for?" She asked.

"To sell again. There were some crazy rumors about developers and for a few months people were going wild over it. The whole town was divided into two groups of who didn't want developers here and who did." He laughed. "Sure was dumb. Nothing happened, and it's not going to."

They passed a large sign advertising a corn maze. Kate pointed to it. "Where is that, in relation to the McCormack place?"

"Right next to it, actually. The back of the corn maze adjoins his property."

* * *

They'd gotten Casey out of the house, and spoken with her, but she was too dazed to say anything and they didn't need anything from her at the moment. Hotch sent the ambulance off, climbed down and rejoined them.

"Bryce's team can go inside the house," he said. "Right now, I think our best bet is inside the maze. JJ, you're with Reid and me. Rossi, you and Morgan are together."

He led the way to the entrance, and withdrew his gun and flashlight. "Be careful," he warned Morgan and Rossi, and they hurried into the maze, separating at the first fork.

It was an eerie thing, to be inside. Hotch felt a shiver go up his spine when they first went in, despite his vest and jacket. The corn blocked some of the wind, but not all, causing a whistling noise. It was very dark; there was no moon out tonight. The corn seemed to act as a sound trap: they could barely hear the noise the other searchers were making.

They advanced at a steady pace, until a fork. "That looks like a dead end. Reid and I will check it out. JJ, check in with Bryce and then Morgan and Rossi."

"Of course," she said, as they walked away, holding their flashlights high. It was indeed a dead end, and they hurried to rejoin JJ, but when they came to the fork, she was nowhere in sight.

"JJ?" Hotch called.

Reid darted forward. "JJ?"

It was five steady minutes, of action-delayed panic before they found her, and she looked just as scared as they were.

"I'm so sorry," she said in a rush. "But I know I heard something, I thought you were behind me and..."

"We won't split up again," Hotch said. "Come on."

* * *

Tom turned onto a dirt road, and Kate could see the flashing lights in the distance, and when they stopped, she jumped from the car. None of her team was in sight, but Detective Bryce turned as she walked up.

"Agent Callahan, you made it."

"Yes, I did. Where is everyone?" She asked.

"He got into the corn maze," Bryce answered. "The victim, Casey, they barely saved her. He took off running when he saw us. Everyone is out searching. I've requested a K-9 unit."

"Are we joining the search?" Tom asked, coming up behind her.

"Yes. You two can partner up?" Bryce asked.

Callahan nodded. "How many entrances are there?"

"Technically, just three, but you can break the stalks or squeeze between them to get out." Bryce sighed, massaging his forehead. "He was smart, to go inside. For years, Jack Mason has been doing that corn maze of his. It's different every year, more complicated." He sighed again. "I got lost inside last year. Hell, the whole department did. So be careful," he said, pointing at them.

"Of course," said Callahan. "How about you leading the way, Tom?"

"Sure," he answered, and led her to the entrance. The shouts made by searchers were barely audible from here. She took out her flashlight and gun.

"Let's go," she said, and they dived inside.

* * *

As they delved deeper into the maze, taking various turns and keeping their guns out at all of them, Kate noticed how silent it had gotten. Either they were getting farther away from the others, or the others were just keeping quiet, which wouldn't surprise her as neither Tom nor she had said a word in five minutes.

The corn blocked some of the wind, but she still shivered when a wind came up, again wishing for her sweater and regretting going to get coffee at such a time. Kate noticed that Tom was fiddling with the radio on his belt.

"What are you doing?" She asked, and he dropped it quickly.

"I was considering checking in on my wife. She has one of these," he answered. Kate turned her attention back to the maze, to the turns they were taking.

They were getting deeper in, closer to the center. Kate was feeling spooked. "We should talk," she said.

Tom was startled. "About what?"

"Do you have any more questions about the profile?"

"I don't think so," he said.

"Do you want to know more about FBI life?" She asked.

"I—not really." He paused and she did also.

"What?" She asked. "Do you have a question?"

"What will happen to the guy, if we catch him?"

"He'll go to jail," she said. "He killed four women."

"And you can prove that?" He asked, amazed.

"We found him with a live victim," she said. "Or, my team did. My guess is that he'd already started the torture, the same kind of torture the other victims received. We'll have enough from that."

"And what about his partner? If he has one, that is," Tom asked.

"We profiled the UnSub as the dominant partner," she began. "My guess is that the submissive one was bullied into it, but nevertheless took pleasure in the tasks. He'll go to jail too, but maybe not for as long."

Tom considered that, and then he didn't say anything more, moving again to go farther into the maze.

* * *

"Garcia?" Hotch said.

"Yes, sir, I'm here," she replied.

"I think we need to leave the maze. Can you call the rest of the team and tell them to make their way out? I'm no longer thinking that this is our best chance."

"Why not, sir?"

"Because it's huge," Hotch said. "And we've been out here for two hours and no one is close to finding anything. The exits are being patrolled, I don't think he can get out, so we can put this time to better use."

"I'll call them," she said. "Never fear. Over and out."

* * *

Some time later, the team, sans Kate and Hotch, was gathered by the squad cars, holding hot cups of apple cider that had been provided.

Hotch came over from where he'd been talking with Bryce. "He has men circling the perimeter. I'm fairly certain Ashburn can't get away. We need to profile where he'll be going. To the center? Does he actually know the maze well?"

"Hey, Hotch?" Reid asked. "Where's Kate?"

Hotch looked around. "I told Garcia to call everyone," he said, taking his phone out and dialing.

"I was thinking you'd call," Garcia said. "I couldn't reach Kate and her phone has been turned off."

Hotch frowned. "Why would she do that?"

"She was using it a lot today," Reid offered. "Maybe her battery got low?"

"Maybe," Hotch said. "Garcia, can you look into finding out who Ashburn's partner was?"

"I have been, sir."

"Call me back with your results," he said.

"But I—"

He hung up and walked over to Detective Bryce. "Who is Agent Callahan partnered with?"

"The same deputy who drove her here, Tom Jones."

"Have you been in contact with him at all?"

"Not since he went in. I tried when you came out of the maze, but his radio must not be working."

Hotch walked back to the group. "So Kate's phone is off and Deputy Jones' radio isn't working, or he's ignoring it."

"Could Garcia trace her phone?" JJ asked.

"She said it was off, and we know that she's in the maze, so that wouldn't do much good." Hotch shook his head. "There's nothing we can do about it right now." He called Garcia again, on speakerphone.

"Sir, you should not have hung up on me. I have the name of his partner."

"How'd you find it?" Morgan asked.

"His calls. There is a number that was called a half-hour before all of the abductions, and frequently in the days before them. Here's the eerie part," Garcia said. "The number traces back to a deputy at the police department."

Morgan and JJ exchanged worried looks and for a moment they were all silent.

"What's his name?" Rossi asked finally, clearing his throat.

* * *

It seemed to be getting darker. Kate looked at the sky and wished for the moon. Even the stars seemed faint, unfriendly in the cold night.

She went over the details of the case in her mind. Why exactly had he dumped the bodies by the police station? Cockiness, like Rossi had said?

Kate mentally shook her head. He was too smart for that. The police station had to hold some significance. Did he hate the police? Was he taunting them?

She considered something else, thinking back to her first case with the BAU. Revisiting? He couldn't be revisiting, that would be too dangerous, but maybe they were displays nonetheless. For the partner, maybe?

She considered that. He had shown uncanny sense in the abductions. There was no one around, and it was when the police were changing shifts.

Was that not because they were avoiding the police, but because the submissive was an officer and that was the only time he could?

She shook her head. That theory was ridiculous.

And yet...

She turned to look at Tom, considering asking him if he'd suspected anyone in the department, but...he wasn't there.

"Tom?" She asked, spinning around and shining her light into the space around her. "Tom?" She repeated, louder. She jogged ahead, further into the maze. "Tom, where are you?"

She heard a sound and turned to look, then stumbled when the corn gave away to nothing. She'd reached the center. "Tom?" She called, once more.

There was nothing. It was absolutely silent. She shined the flashlight all around, stepping carefully forward. She remembered why they were in the maze in the first place, and had the sickening feeling of realization: the UnSub had seemed to be the type of hole up. He could have gone to the center.

She took a step forward, going slower now, wondering if she should go back inside the maze. She wasn't cold anymore; adrenaline had warmed her. She wished for the sweater anyway.

She heard another sound, behind her, and spun around. "Who's there?" She heard running footsteps, she couldn't tell where, her finger tightened on the trigger.

"Where are you, you son of a bitch?" She hissed. "Tom, if it's you..." Her voice trailed off. The footsteps seemed to be coming from two different directions. In front of her, she saw a shadow move.

She shot, just as someone darted up from behind and there was a sudden explosion of pain that originated on the back of her head. She crumpled to the ground.

All was black.

 


	2. Center

Corn Maze

Chapter Two

* * *

"His name is Tom Wood," Garcia said, surprised by their reaction.

"Tom..." Hotch's voice trailed off.

"What, were you working with him closely?" Garcia demanded. "Talk!"

"Garcia, that's who Kate was partnered with to go inside the maze," Reid said.

"Oh my Lord," she gasped. "Are you going in to get her?"

"Yes, of course," Hotch said. "What can you tell us about Tom, before we go?"

"Parents divorced when he was eleven. As for Tom himself, he's been married three years and has been legally separated. Twice. They're reconciled now. Hotch, are you going?"

Hotch had handed off his phone to Morgan and was jogging over to Detective Bryce.

"Okay, Baby Girl, we gotta go," Morgan said.

"I know. Stay safe. And find Kate."

"We should hope she doesn't need to be found," Rossi said.

They followed Hotch to join the conversation with Detective Bryce.

"You think it's Wood?" Bryce was asking, his shocked eyes darting from team member to team member as they walked up.

"I know it is," Hotch said. "You need to warn your men. As for us, we have to go back inside."

"Yeah, but—Wood?" Bryce repeated, horrified.

"Warn your men," Hotch repeated, and pulled his gun out. "Let's go. Reid is with me and JJ is with Rossi and Morgan. Stay close."

"Got it," JJ said, looking a bit abashed at the reminder.

* * *

They split at the first turn again, going quicker than the first time. "Let's head to the center," Hotch said. "Unless you have a better idea?"

"No, that sounds good. Ashburn is the type to try and hide in the middle. I'm sure Kate realized that too," Reid answered.

"Let's hope," Hotch said.

They were walking quickly, steadily. There was the same dead end, which they checked out, and then Reid knelt down.

"My shoelace," he said, sounding embarrassed. Hotch went forward a few steps, shining the light into the corn.

He turned around to call for Reid, but he was still fumbling with his shoelace, and Hotch continued a few more steps. A dark shadow seemed to flit in the distance. "Reid," he called. "Come on."

He was about to break into a run, and then remembered what had happened with JJ, and reversed his direction to go back to Reid.

He came to the dead end, and Reid was nowhere in sight.

Hotch couldn't help it. He heard footsteps and spun around. Panic overrode sense, and he followed the sound, which was coming from the opposite direction of where Reid could have gone. Before he knew it, he was much deeper in the maze and Reid was really nowhere in sight.

He reached for his pocket before he remembered.

He'd left his phone with Morgan.

* * *

Kate woke up slowly, and at first was only vaguely aware of the pain in her head. Then the whole thing came back like a bucket of ice water and she gasped from the pain, groggily bringing her hand up to touch her head. Leaves scraped on her arm; she was flat on the ground.

The rest came, slowly. Tom—had he done it? She sat up, and realized her vest, badge, gun _and_ flashlight were all gone.

He was smart, she again concluded. He took just enough to make things very hard for her, but didn't actually harm her.

She got to her feet, her limbs stiff. She couldn't tell how long she'd been out.

She knew the best thing to do would be to leave the maze and find the others, so she hurried to reenter the maze and immediately halted. Tom was lying on the ground in front of her.

"Holy crap," she whispered, and ran forward. Kneeling to examine him, she couldn't see a wound but could feel a welt on his head, one almost identical to hers.

She felt his wrist. He didn't have a pulse.

She considered CPR, and tried pressure to his chest, but he didn't stir, and she was feeling too spooked to hang around in the center much longer.

"I'm sorry, Tom," she whispered, and hurried past him.

She walked slowly, being even more thorough about checking the corners than she'd been at Parkett's place, and hoping it didn't get her the same results. She'd ended up thrashing on a dirt floor then, about to lose her leg.

Never had she wished so much for her sweater, or one of the FBI jackets Reid and Hotch had been wearing throughout the day, and were probably wearing now.

She kept going, keeping track of twists and turns but came to a dead end and had to turn around. She had no idea which was they'd come on the way in and she definitely couldn't tell which was the path out.

She felt angry with herself for all the stupid things that had led up to this.

She halted on the trail, feeling dumber than ever. Had Tom still had his things on him?

She reversed her steps as best as she could; it took twice as long to get back to the center than it should have. She turned to the left, where Tom had lain.

He wasn't there. She halted, shocked and sacred. _He hadn't had a pulse._ Either the UnSub had gotten him, which meant he could still be close by, or he was...

She tried to keep a level head while she thought up a reasonable explanation, going through reasons why you could survive without a pulse.

Then she remembered something. A rubber ball, placed under the armpit, can briefly stop a pulse.

Or something like it, like his radio.

Tom _had_ hit her. She knew he had, UnSub or not. She turned around and ran, letting panic and alarm take over, feeling like the protagonist in a horror movie, because she couldn't stop looking over her shoulder.

She ran until she couldn't anymore, and she halted, gasping for breath, bracing her hands on her thighs as she tried to regain sensible thought.

 _What else can Tom do? Could I die in here?_ She wondered, horrified. _I might never see Meg again._

* * *

Reid didn't know what had happened. One minute he'd been tying his shoes, the next thing he knew he was waking up on the cold ground.

Where was Hotch? He had to get back to Hotch. Ashburn was dangerous. Anyone facing him would need back up, and then some. He got to his feet, and realized that certain items of his were missing: his gun, vest and flashlight. He double-checked and realized his badge was missing as well as his phone.

And where was he? Nowhere near where he'd been with Hotch; he would bet on that.

To get out he needed to go west, he knew that, but he couldn't leave Hotch like that. He needed to find him.

He went east.

* * *

Kate's senses seemed heightened, except her sight. She could barely restrain herself from jumping at every whisper of wind between the corn.

There were bird noises too. She identified an owl, through its distinctive hoot, but couldn't tell what the others were, not even an especially awful shriek that repeated every so often, and made her blood run cold each time she heard it.

Her footsteps were louder and she was suddenly aware that her feet hurt in the flat shoes she wore. She regretted switching them in the SUV from the sneakers she'd worn during her treks about town earlier, seeing the victims apartments and stopping by the morgue.

The corn was scratching her fingertips and tugging on her clothes when she got close, which she did too often because she wanted to have her back against a wall, any kind of wall.

She was cold; now she was shivering, and placed her hands under her arms to warm them.

Other sounds began to identify themselves: someone else's footsteps.

She listened hard, trying desperately to figure out where they were coming from but it was proving impossible. The corn kept tricking her, shifting the sound until she wondered if she were only imagining it.

Then, just when she was starting to panic, Reid emerged from the maze behind her, looking over his shoulder and rubbing his neck.

"Reid!"

He whirled around. "Kate?" He rushed forward. "Are you okay?"

"Barely. Tom got me, he knocked me out and took—"

"Your vest, badge, gun, flashlight and phone? Someone took mine as well." Reid stood close to her, unintentionally acting as a windbreak.

"What happened?" She asked. "I got here and you were already inside the maze, and now?"

"We were inside, but Hotch thought leaving the maze would help. It's creepy in here," he admitted. "It made us all leery. Our first time in, I was with Hotch and JJ, and she got separated from us. It took five minutes to find her again, but at least we did."

He noticed she was shivering, and shrugged out of his FBI jacket. She was too cold to not take it. "I'm just lucky he didn't take this, too, since he took the vest."

"Will you be fine in your sweater?" She asked, her teeth trying to chatter.

"Yes," he said. "It's wool."

"What else happened? I think I missed alot," she said, zipping the jacket.

"Right," Reid said. "We left the maze, found out you were still inside and Garcia called with the news that Tom was Ashburn's partner."

"Ashburn is our UnSub? I never heard his name."

"Yes," Reid said. "Then we all reentered the maze. Hotch and I were paired together and I just stopped for a second, to tie my shoelace and then I woke up I-don't-even-know how much later."

Kate shifted from foot to foot, folding her arms. Reid's hands were in his pockets and they were both fidgeting, jumping at every noise and stepping closer to each other without realizing it.

"We need to find Hotch," Kate said, trying to make her voice sound strong.

"And then find our own way out. That isn't hard," he smiled. "Just go west."

She laid a hand on his arm. "I'm really glad you're here. It was way too creepy being alone in here."

"I know," he said. "But as it is, now we're two FBI agents without guns or badges. I'm not that certain of the help we can give even if we do find Ashburn."

"We could jump him," Kate said.

"Yes, but then we'd have to carry him out. Might as well have someone else do the heavy lifting." Reid shook his head. "We need to find Hotch."

"He has a gun," she nodded, injecting optimism into her voice.

"Two of them, actually. That reminds me of one of the most important things Gideon taught me."

He met her eyes, and this time his smile wasn't forced. "You don't need a gun to kill someone."

"I know, that's what I keep reminding myself, but..." She shook her head. "It definitely helps."

"That was my answer when he said that," Reid answered. "Come on."

They stayed close, being quiet and cautious. Though they'd both been only attacked and not actually harmed, you never knew what an UnSub would do when cornered. Those encounters had been on his terms and Kate wasn't sure how the game would change when it was on theirs.

Kate buried her hands in the pockets of Reid's long jacket and tried to banish her fears. She and Reid knew their jobs well. They could talk anyone into putting down their weapon.

A sudden burst of shouts startled them. Back to back, as if on a battle field, Reid and Kate whirled around, checking their surroundings.

"I can't tell who or where it's coming from," she gasped. "Can you?"

"I'm hoping Morgan and Rossi," Reid whispered back. "But we can't count on that."

They heard sounds of some sort of fight and more shouts continuing that suddenly just stopped. The night was eerily silent; it was if their momentary companions had disappeared into thin air.

Kate stepped forward. "Reid?" She whispered, and there was a brush of wind on her shoulder.

"Reid?" She repeated, and turned around. He was gone.

She was never turning her back on anyone, ever again.

The fight sound effects were starting up again; she heard shouts and a shot being taken. There was the bark of a dog, and then footsteps.

There were more shots, and they were coming closer. Kate heard more footsteps; someone was running, and then she was knocked to the ground by someone who was _definitely_ not Reid.


	3. Exit

Corn Maze

Chapter Three

* * *

She fought fiercely, even with him pinning her to the ground so tightly she couldn't move her arms.

He was heavy, he was muscled and she could tell instantly that she was fighting a losing battle.

Her legs tried to move but he had them pinned too solidly, and his hands held her arms while her face was trapped against his chest, blocking any attempts at screaming.

She felt her body try to give up and forced herself to continue fighting, and harder this time, until a hushed voice cut through the near shouts and frequent gun shots.

"Kate."

That was it. He didn't say anything else but she immediately stilled and the pressure eased immediately. "Hotch?"

"Do you realize that I only knocked you down because they were shooting?"

"Now I do," she returned, and he instantly loosened his grip and carefully rolled off her.

"I didn't want to call attention by shouting," he said in apology. "And you fought me off too damn well. I couldn't risk you breaking away."

"Sorry," she gasped, finally breathing again. "Where did you even come from? And where did Reid go?"

They were both lying on the ground, on their backs. Hotch rolled onto his front and Kate copied the motion. "Who's shooting?"

"Rossi, Morgan and JJ," he said grimly. "I hope."

The shots finally stopped and they could hear voices, and distinguish them.

"Morgan, if you take one more shot, you're off the team," Hotch bellowed.

"Hotch?" Kate could hear the surprise in Morgan's voice.

"You better not have been using up all those bullets just on me," Hotch stood up, extending a hand for Kate to take.

"No, we had Ashburn," JJ shouted. "Then we lost him and heard sound over where you are."

"Where are you?" Hotch asked.

"Not as near as we sound," Rossi said.

Kate took Hotch's hand and let him help her up. She brushed the dirt off the back of Reid's jacket, looking around her for the other agent, but not wanting to be separated from Hotch.

"Hotch, we have to find Reid," she said, tugging on his sleeve and feeling foolish when he gave her a puzzled glance.

"Morgan, do you still have my phone?" Hotch asked, crouching down and carefully taking his second gun from the holster on his ankle. He handed it to Kate without speaking.

"I do," Morgan said.

"You'll have to keep it for now. I have Kate here and Reid is nearby. You guys just need to get out of the maze, and that's what I'm doing just as soon as we find Reid."

"Understood," Morgan called, and Kate could hear the footsteps as they tromped off.

Hotch turned to Kate, who held the gun in both hands, pointed at the ground. "You said that Reid was just here?"

"Seconds before you knocked me down," Kate said as he brushed past her.

She followed him around the corner, literally running into his back when he stopped. She made to move around him, but he threw out his arm to block her.

"Be very quiet," he said. "Walk slowly and don't run into me again."

Kate kept as close as she dared as they crept forward. "There's someone around this corner," Hotch whispered.

"It's probably Reid," Kate whispered back.

"Can't take any chances," Hotch said, and jumped around the corner. "FBI!"

"Put your hands up," Kate ordered, right at Hotch's side.

It was Tom, and Hotch didn't even pause before bashing the man over the head with his gun.

"Hotch!" Kate exclaimed.

"I don't want to have to worry about him," Hotch grunted, handcuffing Tom unceremoniously. "We have to find Reid and I'm not carting him around."

"Good point," Kate said, helping Hotch drag Tom over to the side. "If only one of us had our phones, we could tell the other deputies to come get him."

"The FBI existed before cell phones," Hotch said, rather grimly, and pointed his gun into the air. He shot once, and then waited a minute before shooting again.

"Do you think Reid's okay?" Kate asked, hurrying after him when he started off again.

"I don't know," Hotch said. "I'm assuming he wouldn't have wandered off after being separated twice so I'm assuming someone grabbed him."

"Seriously?" Kate asked. "I mean, I was right there."

"We have to assume that Ashburn knows the maze pretty well," Hotch said. "Otherwise I don't think he would have entered."

Kate nodded in agreement, scrambling to keep up with his long, impatient strides. "What's the plan, exactly?"

"Exactly?" Hotch shone his flashlight all around before continuing. "I never make plans that far in advance."

"Casablanca," Kate said. "You see yourself as Rick?"

Hotch was silent again, shining the flashlight. "Sometimes," he said, and hurried onward.

* * *

Reid was trying to break away from his captor; he really was, but the man had an iron grip. He couldn't believe Ashburn's daring: taking him when Kate was just a foot away, less.

Now he was being dragged, pushed and shoved along the path. Ashburn had once again showed his intellect because he had gagged Reid, not taking any chances at Reid convincing him of...anything.

He saw a flash of light and jerked away from Ashburn, causing him to trip and fall. Reid fell with him because of the bonds on his hands that were attached to Ashburn. Reid kicked as hard as he could, trying to make as much noise as possible but the only sound was him thrashing in the leaves.

While it was quite loud in his ears, he doubted the owner of the flashlight could hear it, or distinguish it from their own sounds.

Reid continued kicking, until he heard Ashburn moan. Unless he was mistaken, Reid had caught him in the face. Now it was time to apply those magic lessons...

Reid was out of his bonds in a flash, hesitating for just a second. Should he try his muscle against Ashburn's or just run?

There was a shot. Reid ran, remembering what had happened last time shooting had broken out.

* * *

Kate and Hotch kept moving, until Hotch stopped again. "It's getting really late, or early," he noted.

"I don't have the time," Kate said.

"I just didn't want to have to spend the whole night in this damn thing," Hotch said. "I made a vague promise to Jack that I'd be home before..."

"I know," Kate said. "Traveling is the hardest thing about this job."

"Did you hesitate because of that?"

Kate shot him a sideways glance. "I didn't hesitate when I took the job."

Hotch shook his head. "Not in my office, but you were the tenth person I interviewed."

"It...took that long for my proverbial number to be called," she said.

"You and I both know that's not true," Hotch said. Up ahead they could suddenly hear talking, and out of the maze emerged Rossi, Morgan and JJ.

"Whoa, you look lost," Morgan said. "Good to see you." He scanned the group. "Not so good. Where's Reid?"

"We couldn't find him," Kate said.

Rossi winced. "We're near the entrance now."

"We are?" Kate said, and Rossi pointed to her left. "Oh, we are!"

"You can exit the maze," Hotch said. "We'd all understand. You were in alone the longest."

Kate shook her head. "We need to find Reid."

* * *

Kate was paired with JJ and Rossi now. Hotch was with Morgan, cell phone returned. Bryce had since doubled the number of men in the maze and Kate resented the fact that she hadn't run into anything of them, but understood that they were mostly at the perimeter.

JJ was obviously spooked by the maze, and her pace grew steadily slower. Rossi kept reaching up to rub his eyes, and then he'd stop himself. They were all very worried about Reid, Kate knew, and hated that she should have been able to stop his second disappearance.

Kate merely trudged along behind the two, still clutching Hotch's second gun and pointing it at every shadow that flicked into her line of vision. Rossi noticed that and didn't seem to appreciate it.

"It's not that bad, Kate," he reminded gently. "You don't have to keep that up at all times."

"I can't help myself," Kate replied. "This thing is so damn claustrophobic."

"I know," Rossi replied. Silence reigned again, until JJ broke it.

"We have to talk," JJ said. "Otherwise we'll all go mad."

"I know the feeling," Kate said wearily. "I thought I'd go insane my first time in with Tom. He stayed so silent."

"We could sing," Rossi said slyly. He was taking their near-panic with a look of faint amusement on his face. He knew they'd all been through much worse, but this was what creeped them out most. Nature could be more frightening than any UnSub, if it chose to be.

"I was caught in a tornado once," JJ said wildly, ignoring the suggestion to sing. "Almost. We made it to shelter, a storm basement thing."

"I was in Vietnam during the war," Rossi said dryly. "Or are we talking natural disasters?"

"I left New Orleans just a few days before Katrina hit," Kate said softly. "My unit was tracking a John Doe we suspected. If we hadn't left, we could have caught him." She paused. "I take comfort in the fact that maybe the hurricane did."

"My husband's father was killed in Katrina," JJ said, pulled back to the past.

Kate bit her lip. "I'll change the subject. Let's talk—"

* * *

Reid's neck hurt. He was hiding in the corn, trying to use it as a camouflage, but he was afraid that he was failing. He had no idea where Ashburn was, and he was breathing so hard he couldn't listen for footsteps. He wanted to rest, he wanted to lean back against something, but behind him was just corn. Reid cursed the maze for its tricks.

After a few moments of heavy breathing, Reid managed to stand again. He wasn't sure how long he'd been running; he could almost feel how his legs would hurt tomorrow.

But tomorrow was today, wasn't it?

Reid stumbled along, trying to head out of the maze, but his head was spinning. The maze seemed to be closing in on him. He suddenly remembered another place like this.

"Oh, God, help me," he murmured, forgetting that he wasn't sure if he believed in God.

He halted, feeling like he was going to throw up, but the sensation passed. Reid stood, clutching a corn stalk and trying to recover his equilibrium, and a sudden wind came up, chilling him even through his thick sweater.

"Where's my jacket?" He asked the air, before remembering he'd given it to Callahan. Then the maze itself started to move, creeping closer and closer, dancing before his eyes.

He could feel sense leaving him. He could tell how stupid he was getting.

His mind was spinning, it seemed to be deserting him.

He hit the ground hard, gasping, and then darkness came and took away his pain with its blessed numbness.

* * *

Ashburn himself was a smart man, and he had the feeling that his chances in the maze were running out. He'd been so sure of himself. The cops couldn't catch him, but maybe the FBI could.

Tom had failed. Ashburn had spied his body on the trail after Callahan and Hotchner had disappeared into the maze again.

Ashburn slit his partner's throat. There was no reason in carrying extra baggage around. The agents had realized that too.

And Tom could still give away Ashburn, if Ashburn had the luck to get out.

Now, if he could only find Dr. Reid again...

He wouldn't let himself be caught again. He'd take as much of the team down with him as he could.

* * *

Hotch and Morgan's pace was quicker every moment. They both held a feeling of foreboding close to their chest, and it grew larger all the time.

"Is it just me, or has something happened?" Morgan asked.

Hotch held up his hand and touched his earpiece. "Rossi? Are you guys still together?"

"Yes, we are. Thank you for worrying, but don't. Just find Reid."

Hotch's hand fell again. "The others are fine," Hotch said. "Let's go the center."

"We never made it that far," Morgan said.

"Neither did I," Hotch answered. "I think Kate and Reid did, though."

Their pace quickened even more, until they were almost jogging. Suddenly, they weren't afraid of what Ashburn could do, only what he could have already done.

Where was Reid?

* * *

Kate felt a headache coming on, and felt herself fall behind Rossi and JJ in terms of pace. Not wanting to ask them to slow, she instead sped up.

She felt as though she were in a dream, suddenly. She was jogging behind them, and felt a sudden urge to turn left, though there was no path there. "Hey, Rossi?" She called. "I want to break through here. I have a feeling."

They came hurrying back, JJ looking puzzled. "I have this feeling," Kate repeated. "I think Reid's through here."

They helped her pull apart and break the stalks. They were tough, and it took a precious minutes to get a hole. "I'm going through," Kate said.

"We'll be right here," JJ assured her.

Kate struggled through, not sure what she'd find—if anything—but she wasn't prepared for the sight she did see.


	4. Dawn

Corn Maze

Chapter Four

* * *

She rushed forward upon seeing Reid lying on the ground. Feeling his wrist, she was frightened by how weak his pulse was.

"I found Reid!" She called back, but there was no thundering of footsteps. "JJ? Rossi?"

No one came. She walked back to the gap in the maze, but the two agents were nowhere in sight. Whipping around, she ran back to Reid's side, knelt down and tried to revive him.

_Please have just fainted. Don't let it be that Ashburn got to you._

She ran through all of the tips she knew for someone unconscious, and gasped along with Reid when he woke up.

"What happened?" He asked groggily.

"I don't know!" Kate said wildly. "I managed to join up with the rest of the team, but then you were gone."

"Ashburn," Reid said weakly, and Kate sank back onto her knees.

"What did he do?"

"He was trying to take me," Reid said, trying to sit up and Kate pushed him back.

"Don't sit up yet, it's too soon."

He sank back obligingly, and Kate removed her hand from his chest.

"Do you want your jacket back?" Kate asked, her hands moving to the zipper.

She could see the argument in his eyes, but he eventually said yes, and she took it off. He sat up, slowly, and she helped him place it around him, zipping it.

"I'm all dizzy," Reid complained. "I don't think my fainting had any medical significance, but it certainly had its effect."

She helped him up, and they walked back to the gap. "I can get us out from here," she said, and Reid squeezed through, leaving her to follow.

"Why are you alone?" Reid asked. "I thought you said you made it back to the team."

"I did. JJ and Rossi were just here, they helped me make the gap and then they were gone."

* * *

Hotch walked along, muscles tensed up. Morgan was trailing close next to him, gun out.

Did Ashburn have some sort of end plan? He'd been in here long enough.

Hotch clenched his jaw, and kept walking, dialing JJ as he did so. "Hey, JJ. You guys are all right and still together?"

He could hear the static on the other end, and JJ's voice was quieter than normal. "We're great," she said, voice tense.

"Yeah, we're fine," Rossi said. "Gotta love this maze. All the creepy turns."

"Yeah, what about Callahan?" Hotch asked, and they paused.

"I think I just saw something," JJ said, and the line was filled with static.

"Listen, JJ. I get the message. I'll be over there with Morgan ASAP."

No answer. Morgan had stopped, and was watching him intently.

"I think Ashburn is there," Hotch said, and with no further explanation, they doubled back.

* * *

Reid had gradually stopped depending on her, and now was walking without wobbling. Kate kept a close eye on him, and was mildly relieved when he offered the jacket.

"No, keep it," she said. "Having a companion makes the maze that much less cold."

Reid hesitated, then burrowed down into it.

A thought coming to her, Kate halted. "What time is it? I mean, how long have we even been in here?"

"I think the UnSub took my watch," Reid said. "But judging from the light, I'd say it's just past four."

Kate blinked. "That's a long time we've been in here, then."

Reid just nodded, and the conversation slowed, until Reid paused. "Wait, where's the team?"

"Right now, we just need to get out of here," Kate protested.

Reid's eyes narrowed.

"I don't know," she admitted miserably. "And I don't want to search for them when we need to get you out."

Reid half-nodded, and they kept the pace up. Kate realized how close they were getting to the exit, and her breathing finally became natural again, until Hotch and Morgan emerged from the maze in front of them.

"Kate?" Hotch said, charging forward. "Where are Rossi and JJ?"

"Gone," Kate said. "I found Reid and they were just gone."

"Reid, are you okay?" Morgan was asking, and Reid was nodding.

"I'm fine. I'd like to go with you to find them."

Morgan nodded, and handed Reid one of his sidearms. "Let's go, then. We had a rather strange call."

"The conclusion being?" Kate asked, scrambling after all the tall, fast-paced men almost jogging in front of her.

"Ashburn." Hotch said conclusively. "Just take us to where you last saw them."

* * *

They reached the spot in good time, and Kate was feeling mildly proud of how she steered them so easily. They hadn't lost their way once, or been separated.

Hotch and Morgan took off together almost immediately, going to the left. "Why don't you and Reid leave now?" Hotch said, glancing behind him at the two. "I'd wager you both could use medical attention."

Kate hesitated, remembered how she'd found Reid and gave him a pleading look. She realized as the two reluctantly turned to go that they were both doing it for each other.

She was liking Spencer Reid more and more, every day she worked with him.

Their path was simple, once you remembered which way to turn. They kept on high-alert and didn't turn away from each other. Halfway out, they heard shots, and then they froze, waiting.

It was fifteen minutes before some of Bryce's men thundered past them. Reid stopped one, and was told that they'd been radioed.

Ashburn had been caught.

Kate felt a bit frozen, not wanting to move, and she and Reid just moved closer together, both shivering. He shrugged out of the jacket again and gave it back to her. She took it without a word, and they continued waiting.

Kate needed some form of closure. She hated that they'd had to leave just when they were about to face Ashburn.

She'd wanted that. She'd wanted to be the one who caught him, or part of the team that did.

But she wasn't. Instead she stood near the edge of the maze, huddling with Reid and waiting for the team.

It was almost worth it when she got to see Hotch and JJ emerge from the path in front of them, JJ looking like she was fine and this was nothing she couldn't get over, and Hotch looking like, well, Hotch.

Morgan and Rossi followed, and Rossi slung his arm around Kate as they walked out. She leaned into the older man, feeling tired and useless, but relieved.

Behind them, a light slowly crept over the edge of the world, and she turned around, the same moment as Reid, to see the sun coming over the horizon.

Dawn.

They'd spent a whole night in that maze. It had been, at least for Kate, the longest nightmare ever.

But dawn had come, and sunlight was flooding the world, slowly but surely.

She looked at Reid, at the rest of the team, breathed in the fresh air and smiled.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Simple ending. I meant it to be something more exciting, but I remembered how Kate and Reid seem to have a knack of disappearing at the end of episodes lately, so I decided to be true to the show.
> 
> Well...and I can't write real action to save my life. I wanted Kate to be part of the take down, and Reid, but I just couldn't figure out how to do it. I know my weaknesses...
> 
> Hope you liked it, and thank you for reading.
> 
> Thanks go to my beta, spashes-of-silver. She helped alot. Obviously, though, all mistakes are my own.


End file.
